Argentine authorities are actively investigating the origin of a lethal hantavirus outbreak that occurred on a cruise ship departing last month by trapping rodents in the forests surrounding Ushuaia, the southernmost city. The objective is to identify any potential presence of the rat-borne virus in an area previously believed to be unaffected.
Wearing distinctive blue gloves and surgical masks, scientists examined 150 box traps set out the previous night, collecting deceased rats in black plastic bags for further analysis at a temporary laboratory. This rat-trapping initiative marks the commencement of fieldwork in Argentina’s broader probe into the source of the hantavirus outbreak that affected the MV Hondius, resulting in three fatalities and multiple illnesses, including one Canadian passenger. This event triggered a worldwide effort to track passengers and their close contacts.
The investigators, who declined to provide details to the media, are part of the Malbrán Institute, the country’s leading infectious disease research center. They plan to continue trapping rats for three days before transporting the samples to the main laboratory in Buenos Aires for hantavirus testing. Although the testing process may take up to a month, officials have not disclosed additional information.
Martín Alfaro, a spokesperson for the local health ministry of Tierra del Fuego, stated that the team captured the expected specimens during the operation. The investigation was initiated nearly two weeks ago when the Argentine Health Ministry announced the deployment of the Malbrán Institute team to Ushuaia, a popular tourist destination known for its proximity to the Antarctic.
While hantavirus has never been reported in Ushuaia or the broader region of Tierra del Fuego, provincial authorities in Patagonia, where the virus is prevalent, dispute initial claims linking the outbreak to a Dutch couple who did not visit the affected area during the likely infection period. The couple, who passed away, had recently visited Ushuaia before boarding the cruise ship in early April.
Health officials in Tierra del Fuego reject the hypothesis that the outbreak originated from the couple’s visit to a local landfill. The Andes virus, common in southern Chile and Argentina, primarily spreads through exposure to contaminated air from the feces and urine of the long-tailed pygmy rice rat. While the primary carrier of the virus is absent in Tierra del Fuego, a related subspecies exists in the region, prompting further investigation into its potential as a transmission source.
Health authorities stress that Tierra del Fuego is not the outbreak’s source and emphasize the importance of determining if hantavirus is present in the province amid global warming. The ongoing trapping efforts target areas where the colilargo subspecies is prevalent, such as the national park and wooded hills near Ushuaia’s main beach. The rise in hantavirus cases in Argentina has been linked to environmental changes and human activities impacting the range of colilargos due to climate change.
Overall, the investigation aims to rule out the possibility of hantavirus transmission in Tierra del Fuego and understand the broader implications of the outbreak amidst changing environmental conditions.
